When Microsoft released Windows 8.1, it renamed ‘My Computer’ to ‘This PC’. This PC on Windows 10 and 11 used to contain hard drives, removable storage devices, network locations, and user folders. But starting with Windows 11 build 25136, the navigation pane of File Explorer will not show any of the default user folders such as 3D Objects, Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, and Videos folders under This PC.

You can still access these user folders in a separate section and under libraries on the navigation panel of Windows 11. But there is no direct option to add or remove the folder from the ‘This PC’ Section in File Explorer on Windows 11. You can do this with the help of registry tweaks, registry files, or third-party tools like Winaero Tweaker. In this article, we will see how to add or remove a folder from This PC section of the navigation pane in File Explorer on Windows 11.

Add Folders under This PC Section in File Explorer

You can use the registry keys to add all folders under the This PC section in File Explorer or you can individually add different folders to the This PC section. You can either manually create registry keys with the provided code or you can just download corresponding registry files and run those files to include folders to This PC section.

To create a registry file, copy and paste the respective/code into Notepad or any other text editor and save the file with the ‘.reg’ extension.

For example, open a new notepad file, and copy-paste any of the below codes. Then, click ‘File’ and then select ‘Save’.

Give a name to your registry file with the ‘.reg’ extension at the end. Then, select the ‘All files (*.*)’ option from the ‘Save as type’ drop-down menu.

After that, choose a destination and click ‘Save’ to save the file to your desired location.

To merge the registry file with the Windows registry, simply double-click on the saved or downloaded registry file.

When you see the User Account Control prompt, click ‘Yes’ and then click ‘Yes’ to the Registry Editor warning box to approve the merge.

Finally, click ‘OK’ to continue.

Once it’s done, close the File Explorer (if it is opened), then re-launch it to apply the changes.

Add All Library Folders to This PC

Use the below script/code to create your registry file or download the ready-made registry file that we created.

Code/Script:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

; 3D Folders
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\{0DB7E03F-FC29-4DC6-9020-FF41B59E513A}]

; Desktop
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\{B4BFCC3A-DB2C-424C-B029-7FE99A87C641}]
"HideIfEnabled"=-

; Documents
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\{d3162b92-9365-467a-956b-92703aca08af}]
"HideIfEnabled"=-

; Downloads
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\{088e3905-0323-4b02-9826-5d99428e115f}]
"HideIfEnabled"=-

; Music
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\{3dfdf296-dbec-4fb4-81d1-6a3438bcf4de}]
"HideIfEnabled"=-

; Pictures
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\{24ad3ad4-a569-4530-98e1-ab02f9417aa8}]
"HideIfEnabled"=-

; Videos
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\{f86fa3ab-70d2-4fc7-9c99-fcbf05467f3a}]
"HideIfEnabled"=-
Registry File

Add the 3D Objects folder to This PC

Use the below script/code to create your registry file or download the ready-made registry file.

Code/Script:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\{0DB7E03F-FC29-4DC6-9020-FF41B59E513A}]
Registry file

Add the Desktop folder to This PC

Use the below script/code to create your registry file or download the ready-made registry file.

Code/Script:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\{B4BFCC3A-DB2C-424C-B029-7FE99A87C641}]
"HideIfEnabled"=-
Registry File

Add the Documents folder to This PC

Use the below script/code to create your registry file or download the ready-made registry file.

Code/Script:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\{d3162b92-9365-467a-956b-92703aca08af}]
"HideIfEnabled"=-
Registry File

Add the Downloads folder to This PC

Use the below script/code to create your registry file or download the ready-made registry file.

Code/Script:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\{088e3905-0323-4b02-9826-5d99428e115f}]
"HideIfEnabled"=-
Registry File

Add the Music folder to This PC

Use the below script/code to create your registry file or download the ready-made registry file.

Code/Script:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\{3dfdf296-dbec-4fb4-81d1-6a3438bcf4de}]
"HideIfEnabled"=-
Registry File

Add the Pictures folder to This PC

Use the below script/code to create your registry file or download the ready-made registry file.

Code/Script:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\{24ad3ad4-a569-4530-98e1-ab02f9417aa8}]
"HideIfEnabled"=-
Registry File

Add the Videos folder to This PC

Use the below script/code to create your registry file or download the ready-made registry file.

Code/Script:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\{f86fa3ab-70d2-4fc7-9c99-fcbf05467f3a}]
"HideIfEnabled"=-
Registry File

Remove the Library Folders under This PC Section in File Explorer

Removing folders under This PC is just as easy as adding them. You can create your own registry file to remove folders under This PC using the given code here or you can just download our registry (.reg) files to remove folders.

Remove All Library Folders from This PC

Use the below script/code to create your registry file or download our ready-made registry file.

Code/Script:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

; 3D Folders
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\{0DB7E03F-FC29-4DC6-9020-FF41B59E513A}]

; Desktop
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\{B4BFCC3A-DB2C-424C-B029-7FE99A87C641}]
"HideIfEnabled"=dword:022ab9b9

; Documents
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\{d3162b92-9365-467a-956b-92703aca08af}]
"HideIfEnabled"=dword:022ab9b9

; Downloads
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\{088e3905-0323-4b02-9826-5d99428e115f}]
"HideIfEnabled"=dword:022ab9b9

; Music
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\{3dfdf296-dbec-4fb4-81d1-6a3438bcf4de}]
"HideIfEnabled"=dword:022ab9b9

; Pictures
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\{24ad3ad4-a569-4530-98e1-ab02f9417aa8}]
"HideIfEnabled"=dword:022ab9b9

; Videos
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\{f86fa3ab-70d2-4fc7-9c99-fcbf05467f3a}]
"HideIfEnabled"=dword:022ab9b9
Registry File

Remove the 3D Objects folder from This PC

Use the below script/code to create your registry file or download our ready-made registry file.

Code/Script:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\{0DB7E03F-FC29-4DC6-9020-FF41B59E513A}]
Registry File

Remove the Desktop folder from This PC

Use the below script/code to create your registry file or download our ready-made registry file.

Code/Script:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\{B4BFCC3A-DB2C-424C-B029-7FE99A87C641}]
"HideIfEnabled"=dword:022ab9b9
Registry File

Remove the Documents folder from This PC

Use the below script/code to create your registry file or download our ready-made registry file.

Code/Script:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\{d3162b92-9365-467a-956b-92703aca08af}]
"HideIfEnabled"=dword:022ab9b9
Registry File

Remove the Downloads folder from This PC

Use the below script/code to create your registry file or download our ready-made registry file.

Code/Script:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\{088e3905-0323-4b02-9826-5d99428e115f}]
"HideIfEnabled"=dword:022ab9b9
Registry File

Remove the Music folder from This PC

Use the below script/code to create your registry file or download our ready-made registry file.

Code/Script:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\{3dfdf296-dbec-4fb4-81d1-6a3438bcf4de}]
"HideIfEnabled"=dword:022ab9b9
Registry File

Remove the Pictures folder from This PC

Use the below script/code to create your registry file or download our ready-made registry file.

Code/Script:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\{24ad3ad4-a569-4530-98e1-ab02f9417aa8}]
"HideIfEnabled"=dword:022ab9b9
Registry File

Remove the Videos folder from This PC

Use the below script/code to create your registry file or download our ready-made registry file.

Code/Script:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\{f86fa3ab-70d2-4fc7-9c99-fcbf05467f3a}]
"HideIfEnabled"=dword:022ab9b9
Registry File

Hide This PC’s Folders by Changing ThisPCPolicy Registry Values

Another way to hide folders under This PC section is by editing the ThisPCPolicy values of GUID keys. Here’s how you can do that:

Open the Run dialog box (Win+R) and type ‘regedit’ and hit Enter to open the Registry editor.

When the Registry Editor appears, navigate to the following path or copy-paste the path in the address bar to get there faster. Use any/all of the below paths for the folder you want to remove.

Desktop Folder:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{B4BFCC3A-DB2C-424C-B029-7FE99A87C641}\PropertyBag

Documents Folder:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{f42ee2d3-909f-4907-8871-4c22fc0bf756}\PropertyBag

Downloads Folder:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{7d83ee9b-2244-4e70-b1f5-5393042af1e4}\PropertyBag

Pictures Folder:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{0ddd015d-b06c-45d5-8c4c-f59713854639}\PropertyBag

Music Folder:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{a0c69a99-21c8-4671-8703-7934162fcf1d}\PropertyBag

Videos Folder:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{35286a68-3c57-41a1-bbb1-0eae73d76c95}\PropertyBag

When you select the PropertyBag subkey in the left pane, you will see the ‘ThisPCPolicy’ entry on the right pane. Now, just double-click the ‘ThisPCPolicy’ to change its value.

The default value data of ThisPCPolicy is Show.

Now, change the Value data to ‘Hideto ‘ and click ‘OK’ to confirm.

After that, completely close and reopen the File Explorer. You could see that folder from This PC window has been removed.

To get back any folder, go to the respective PropertyBag subkey and change the value data of ‘ThisPCPolicy’ to ‘Show’. That will show the folders again.

However, even if you hid the folders under This PC in File Explorer, they can still show up in the Browse, Save, Save as, and Open file dialog boxes.

To hide the folders in any of the Browse dialog boxes, go to the below keys and change the ‘ThisPCPolicy’ string to ‘Hide’ in the Registry Editor.

For Desktop folder:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{B4BFCC3A-DB2C-424C-B029-7FE99A87C641}\PropertyBag

For Documents folder:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{f42ee2d3-909f-4907-8871-4c22fc0bf756}\PropertyBag

For Downloads folders:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{7d83ee9b-2244-4e70-b1f5-5393042af1e4}\PropertyBag

For Music folder:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{a0c69a99-21c8-4671-8703-7934162fcf1d}\PropertyBag

For Pictures folder:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{0ddd015d-b06c-45d5-8c4c-f59713854639}\PropertyBag

For Videos folder:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{35286a68-3c57-41a1-bbb1-0eae73d76c95}\PropertyBag

Deleting {GUID} Keys to Remove Folders under This PC section

If you want to remove the folders under This PC permanently, you can delete to respective GUID key or keys from Registry Editor. To do that, open Registry Editor and go to the following path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions

Expand the FolderDescriptions folder and remove any of the following keys for the folder you want to remove:

  • Desktop: {B4BFCC3A-DB2C-424C-B029-7FE99A87C641}
  • Documents: {f42ee2d3-909f-4907-8871-4c22fc0bf756}
  • Downloads: {7d83ee9b-2244-4e70-b1f5-5393042af1e4}
  • Music: {a0c69a99-21c8-4671-8703-7934162fcf1d}
  • Pictures: {0ddd015d-b06c-45d5-8c4c-f59713854639}
  • Videos: {35286a68-3c57-41a1-bbb1-0eae73d76c95}

Right-click a folder (key) and select ‘Delete’ to remove it.

Then, confirm your action by selecting ‘Yes’.

But if you want to restore the folders in the future, you need to backup the GUID keys (for specific folders) or the entire FolderDescriptions folder.

Disable Frequent folders or Recent files from Windows 11 Quick Access

In Windows, you can also view your frequently used folders and recently accessed files in File Explorer. If you want to disable frequent folders or recent files in Quick Access, follow these steps:

In File Explorer, click the three dots menu button and select ‘Options’ to open the Folder Options dialog window.

In the General tab of the Folder Options, uncheck the following options:

  • To disable recently used files from being displayed in Quick access, uncheck the ‘Show recently used files’ under the Privacy section.
  • To disable frequently used files from being displayed in Quick access, uncheck the ‘Show frequently used files’ under the Privacy section.

Then, click ‘Apply’ and then ‘OK’.

Display Libraries On Windows 11

You can enable or disable the library folders to show on the navigation panel of File Explorer.

Open the File Explorer by hitting the Windows+E shortcut key. In the File Explorer menu bar, click on the three ellipses (three dots) button and select ‘Option’. This will open the Folder Options window.

In the Folder Options window, go to the ‘View’ tab. Then, scroll down the list of options under Advanced settings and check the checkbox for the ‘Show Libraries’. Now, click on ‘Apply’ and then ‘OK’.

Now, you will see the Libraries in the navigation pane of File Explorer as shown below. 

Hide Libraries in the Navigation Pane of File Explorer

If you no longer want the libraries section, you can also hide or remove libraries from the File Explorer Navigation pane. Here’s how you do that:

Open File Explorer with the Windows+E shortcut. Then, click on the horizontal ellipses (three dots) on the File Explorer’s menu bar and select ‘Options’. 

In the Folder Options window, go to the ‘View’ tab. Then, scroll down the list of options under Advanced settings and uncheck the ‘Show Libraries’ option. Now, click on ‘Apply’ and then ‘OK’.

Add Folders to The Libraries On Windows 11

If you have some folders that you use frequently, you can add them to the libraries and make them more accessible. Follow these steps to add the folders to the libraries on Windows 11:

Open File Explorer and navigate to the folder you want to add to Libraries. Then, right-click the folder and select ‘Show More Options’.

On the next context menu, click on ‘Include In Library’ and select the Library folder to which you want to add the folder. 

Now, you will find the folder you added under the library.

You can either add the folder to a pre-existing Library folder or you can create a new Library folder by selecting the ‘Create new library’ option in the right-click context menu.

To remove a Library folder from the Libraries, simply right-click on the folder in Libraries you want to remove and select the ‘Delete’ option.

Remove OneDrive Folder from File Explorer

In case you would like to remove the OneDrive folder from File Explorer, follow these steps:

First, open Registry Editor and go to the following path:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}

With the above subkey selected, double click on the ‘System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree’ entry on the right pane.

Then, set the Value data to ‘0’ and click ‘OK’.

After that, go to the below key 

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Wow6432Node\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}

Then, double click on the ‘System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree’ entry on the right pane.

Now, change the Value data to ‘0’ and click ‘OK’.

Add or Remove Custom Folders from This PC using Third-party Tool (Winaero Tweaker)

There is no direct option to add custom folders to This PC in File Explorer on Windows 11, you can use a third-party tool (Winaero Tweaker) to add or remove custom folders to This PC easily.

First, you need to download and install the Winaero Tweaker tool on your computer from this link. Go to the Winaero Tweaker website and click the ‘Download Winaero Tweaker’ link to get the tool.

Once the ‘winaerotweaker.zip’ file, extract the file and run the ‘WinaeroTweaker-X.XX.X.X-setup.exe’ to install the app.

On the wizard’s welcome screen, click ‘Next’ to start the installation.

Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation. On the Startup type screen, choose how you want to install the app (Normal or portable application) and click ‘Next’.

On the Additional Tasks screen, choose whether you want to install for all users or only for the current user and click ‘Next’.

Finally, click ‘Install’ to install the app.

Add Custom Folders to This PC

Open the installed Winaero Tweaker app, go to the ‘File Explorer’ section on the left-side navigation panel, and select the ‘Customize This PC Folders’ option under the File Explorer tree.

On the right-side of Customize This PC Folders, click on the ‘Add custom folder’ button.

In the Add Folder dialog box, click on ‘Browse’ to choose the folder that you want to add to This PC.

Next, choose the folder from your computer and click the ‘Select Folder’ button.

You can choose to display the folder in the same name or give a different name to the folder for displaying it under This PC. This doesn’t change the folder’s name, it only displays the folder with the given name under the ‘This PC’ section on File Explorer. Enter the display name under the ‘Display as’ field and click ‘Add Folder’.

Once done, close the Winaero tool and relaunch your File Explorer, and you will see the folder you added under This PC.

Remove Custom Folders or Other Folders from This PC

You can also remove the custom folders or other library folders (Documents, Documents, Music, Videos, etc.) from This PC.

Open the Winaero Tweaker app on your system and head to the ‘File Explorer’ tab on the navigation panel. Then, select ‘Customize This PC Folders’ under it.

On the right, select the folder you want to remove and click the ‘Remove Selected’ button.

If you want to restore the default folder under This PC, simply, click the ‘Reset this page to defaults’ button at the top of the ‘Customize This PC Folders’ page.

That’s it.